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UN OIP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IN IRAQI KURDISTAN Benon Sevan, Executive Director of the Office of the Iraq Programme (OIP), visited Iraqi Kurdistan to meet with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials and tour the region to see the situation on the ground for himself. During his tour, he saw some of the program achievements as well as areas requiring urgent remedy, such as public transportation and IDP housing. Meetings were held in Erbil from January 25 - 29 with KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, Deputy Prime Minister Sami Abdul Rahman, and members of the KRG High Committee for SCR-986 along with heads of UN Agencies. He also met with KDP President Masoud Barzani. Before coming to Erbil, he met with the Governor of Duhok and others.
Discussions focused on ways to improve project implementation. Particular concern was expressed about the lack of progress in hospital construction and in the health sector in general by the KRG and Mr. Sevan. The subject of 212 outstanding visa applications held up in Baghdad for experts needed in Kurdistan was also raised. Until these experts come, several projects are delayed and others have come to a standstill. Mr. Sevan visited the hospital in Amedia and the 29 MW power station in Duhok. In Erbil, he toured the public transportation terminal, renovated Teaching Hospital, ongoing sewerage project, Erbil Park, and IDPs living in an old military building near Ain Kawa. During a tour of Banislawa, he met IDPs displaced from Kirkuk who are currently housed in tents. Families displaced by the Government of Iraq in its Arabization campaign are forced to leave their homes and are deported to Kurdistan. Some of the IDPs spoke to Mr. Sevan and gave him a statement about their situation. After, he went to Kesnazan to see the construction site for 900 apartments for IDP families. Arrangements were made for him to travel to the Ifraz River, site of a planned large-scale water treatment and pumping station project for the city of Erbil and a major bridge necessary for the completion of the new shorter route from Erbil to Duhok. The KRG looks forward to the resolution of several difficult problems and speedier project implementation as a result of the discussions.
Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani presented the 2002 Budget on December 31, 2001, for the approval of the members of the Kurdistan National Assembly. After debate and discussion, the 2.5 billion I.D. budget was approved. About 30 per cent of this year's budget will be spent on the health and education sectors. In the health sector, the budge covers expenses for 243 hospitals and health clinics, 21 institutions, and over 3,500 healthcare professionals. The budget for education will pay for two universities, five technical institutes, and about 2,000 primary, intermediate, and secondary schools, and about 23,000 teachers. Increased allocations are also required for the 85 new municipalities created after the municipal elections in the spring of 2001.
The road from Erbil to Haji Omeran has become an important transportation route over the past few years with steadily increasing commercial vehicular traffic carrying goods to and from Iran. Many Iranian businesses are actively pursuing project contracts under the SCR-986 program and through direct arrangements with the KRG and private companies. Road improvements make good business sense. Private citizens are also starting to make more trips to Iran to visit friends and relatives. Tens of thousands of people have returned to Iraqi Kurdistan from Iran during the past ten years and after having spent ten to twenty years or more there. Over the years, these people made many friendships that they enjoy renewing.
The value of the commercial traffic crossing the border along with steadily improving relations with the government of Iran made it an attractive project for the KRG. 2,650,000 I.D. were allocated to make improvements and expand the road to four lanes from the town of Haji Omeran to the Iranian border. The Ministry of Works and Housing designed the road and supervised the construction. Attention was paid to grading the road, applying layers of sub-base and building culverts to divert the water run-off. Haji Omeran is famous for its cold weather with heavy snowfalls. A local spring is also a favourite spot for families to picnic and its excellent water is renowned throughout the whole region.
This year marks the UN Year of the Mountain and many countries are busy celebrating their famous mountain ranges and planning projects to preserve mountain ecologies. Kurdistan is also famous for its many mountain ranges and they form a strong part of the Kurdish identity. During the past three years, the region has witnessed a severe drought with significant decreases in the amount of rain and snowfall that has caused springs and rivers to dry up. This winter, the snow returned and you can see the ranges capped in white. Other areas have received heavy rainfall and some springs have come to life again. The snowfall, while a welcome sight, creates difficulties for some mountain communities as they find themselves cut off from other towns and cities. It has been a difficult year for the Ministry of Reconstruction and Development staff responsible for snow clearing the more remote areas of the region.
Teams have been deployed throughout the Erbil and Duhok Governorates where they will stay until spring comes and the snow stops blocking he roads. Their jobs are made more difficult by the shortage and age of machinery they have available for snow removal. Despite the problems, roads are kept open for the most part and people can get out of their communities for supplies or to reach medical care and access other public services. Almost everyone is happy to see the snow again. People are out having fun it and children love to play in it. Snowmen can be found by the roads and you can even see adults having snowball fights. These beautiful mountains will probably become a tourist attraction in the future for sightseers, skiers and snowboarders. In the past, they were a popular summer destination throughout the Middle East and they still are for the people living in the region.
Mergasor District, like most areas in Iraqi Kurdistan, has been experiencing a severe drought for the past three years. It has caused a great deal of hardship for the thousands of people living in villages scattered around the district. Many springs and wells have dried up leaving people without water for drinking, irrigating, or watering animals. As a stopgap measure, water is being delivered to the villages by tankers. This is a very expensive and inefficient way to supply water; however, there has been no choice in the matter. In the meantime, local people and staff from the Ministry of Reconstruction and Development (MORAD) have been searching for an alternative water supply in a sufficient quantity to be able to maintain the local population for many years.
The spring at Kani Bardaree was found and proposed as a suitable location for a water project. After researching the location, measuring quantity and testing water quality, it was recommended for development. It is a strong spring and even at its lowest levels has a sufficient water flow. MORAD prepared a proposal for funding from the SCR-986 Oil-for-Food program to develop this water project. It will go ahead at the site recommended. The project, using the latest technology, will have a water intake that will send the water to a collection tank where it will be treated and filtered prior to being pumped to the main storage tank from which it will be distributed by gravity to 19 villages. About 6,300 people are expected to benefit from the project when it is completed.
If you take a look at the site of the new Bastora Bridge that is under construction, it is hard to imagine why such a large structure is needed. There is just a small stream flowing under it in a dry, rocky area. But this can change very rapidly, especially in a year with high precipitation and heavy snowfalls. In 1993, a flash flood hit and washed out the old structure, which was replaced by a small two-lane bridge currently trying to serve the needs of one of the most heavily travelled roads in Iraqi Kurdistan. In mountainous areas, bridges are very important, connecting sections of roads across river and streams and over valleys. At Bastora, careful planning was needed to ensure that the new bridge structure can withstand heavy flooding situations that could happen in any year.
The Ministry of Works and Housing (MOWAH) has carried out 15 bridge construction projects at a cost of 5.5 million I.D. from KRG funds as well as numerous repair projects in the past few years. The Bastora Bridge is their most recent project funded with 12.5 million I.D. from KRG. MOWAH staff have been actively involved in the project right from the design stage and are supervising the company awarded the contract to build it. When it is complete, the concrete bridge will span the 96-meter riverbed and connect two sections of the new four-lane road from Erbil to Salahaddin. It will be able to take a 100-ton load to meet the heaviest needs of traffic on the road. Two stages of the road construction project are already complete. The third stage, from the bridge to just below Salahaddin is ongoing at the same time as the work on the bridge, which is more than half done.
For the first time, a circus has come to Iraqi Kurdistan. The red and white striped tent, pitched next to the Franso Hariri Stadium, has been attracting lots of attention. Most nights, from 7:30 to 10:30, the tent is packed with about 1,000 people, mostly families, who watch the show and enjoy it so much they are even coming back to see it more than once. The circus is directed by an Iranian, but it has been based in Italy since 1982. There are 30 performers-half from Iran, 3 from Russian, 6 from Armenia, 5 from Turkmenistan, and 1 from Kyrgyzstan. With the circus, they have been to many countries, including Italy, France, Spain, Germany, England, Greece, Portugal, Turkey, and Iran. This is their first trip to the region. Animals, like horses, monkeys, lions, and bears, are also used in the performances. Four clowns keep the audience laughing throughout the evening. They also brought their own three-member band with them.
While they are here, they will be spending two months in Erbil. They are discussing plans to take the circus to Duhok and Sulaimaniyah. Considering that over 30,000 tickets have been sold so far in Erbil, it seems likely that they will continue in other places in Iraqi Kurdistan. It is really good to see this type of program being enjoyed by everyone. There is generally a lack of family-oriented entertainment available in the region, so this is a welcome event. It should encourage other performing artists to consider traveling to Kurdistan to put on shows in the future. You can see them up until March 2 in Erbil. Get your tickets soon!
The Children's Rehabilitation Clinic (CRC) in Duhok was established about three and a half years ago under the direction of ACORN, an international NGO operating in Iraqi Kurdistan since 1993. The CRC, funded by DFID, is operated in cooperation with the Duhok Department of Health (DOH), is located in the Azadi Hospital. They will move into their new clinic when construction is completed. The CRC will be turned over to the DOH when everything is in place for the Clinic to be successful without assistance from ACORN. Its role is to provide hands-on physiotherapy treatment fro children, train child physiotherapists, and develop satellite clinics in already established health centers run by the Department of Health. From the satellite clinics, home visits are arranged for physiotherapists to ensure parents are following treatment plans correctly.
Some of the most common conditions being treated at the CRC are spina bifida, cerebral palsy, hip displacement, clubfoot, and Down's Syndrome. Arrangements are made for children requiring surgical treatment. Those who need special shoes, braces or casts, can be treated on site by the orthotics technicians at their workshop. ACORN is also active in raising awareness in the community about children's disabilities, their causes, and ways to prevent these condition. |
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